"I have talked to Josh and I will keep that private, but I do have total confidence that I'm the guy there," Orton told Mike Klis of the Denver Post on Sunday night from Hawaii, where he is attending the NFL Players Association meetings as the Broncos' union representative. "Just like every year, I'm going in to try to earn my starting job. I don't think I have anything to fret."

Orton is coming off his best statistical season with 3,802 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 86.8 passer rating.

Though the team struggled down the stretch, losing its final four games to miss out on the postseason after a 6-0 start, Orton was O.K. in the latter stages of the year aside from his three-INT debacle against Kansas City Week 17. In the three games prior to that, he threw for 744 yards, six TDs and two INTs. In a Week 14 loss to Indianapolis, he completed 70 percent of his passes.

Orton (pictured) was hoping for a multi-year deal after the season, but he had to settle for a one-year tender worth $2.621 million.

"Of course I'm hopeful for a deal," he said. "I'm a guy who has never brought money up. I think it's a tacky thing to do. But at some point, fair compensation has to be reached."

Regardless of his contract status, Orton is content with his status as Denver's top signal-caller, something he never felt in Chicago despite a 10-5 record as a starter there his rookie year.

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"Whether you trade for a guy, or draft a guy, or you sign a guy in free agency, all you ask for is a chance for competition — like I had last year with Chris [Simms, who was released by the team today]," he said. "I've been in situations where that wasn't the case, and that's the most frustrating deal. If you get beat out by a guy, you can handle that. If you never have a chance to compete, then that's a whole different story."